Creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

This recipe is amazing for one primary reason and that’s because it’s oh-so creamy and oh-so healthy all at the same time. What’s the reason a traditional creamy soup might not be the healthiest, you ask?

From a holistic health perspective, the answer is simple - dairy is not a whole food.

Although dairy is delicious, most human beings cannot tolerate it. The reason being dairy is naturally designed to rapidly develop a little baby calf into a full grown adult cow in much less time than it takes a baby human to develop into an adult. This means the animal’s proteins and other compounds are much larger than those of a human being and, in turn, our bodies naturally have trouble breaking down and digesting delicious dairy foods.

The even greater trouble is most people are not familiar with the symptoms their bodies produce following the ingestion of intolerant foods - including dairy. From indigestion symptoms to inflammation that presents itself as allergies or joint and muscle pain, for example, there’s a number of triggers the body uses to indicate a person has consumed an intolerant food including weight gain and hormonal imbalances in the form of fatigue, irritability and other behaviour problems, mental fog, anxiety, nervousness and worry. Not to mention, such foods certainly have the ability to speed up the aging process.

The reason this recipe is so incredibly healthy is because it uses a homemade cashew cream in replacement of dairy, which produces a silky smooth texture without sacrificing flavour. Homemade cashew cream is extremely nutritious as it’s high in healthy fats (great for brain health), fiber (think consistent bowels), and protein (basically needed to support every bodily function). In terms of minerals, cashews are a great source of potassium and magnesium for heart, brain and nerve health. This healthy alternative, on the other hand, has the potential to slow the effects of aging.

Before we move into the recipe, and when it comes to cashew cream, there’s some insights I’ve learned over the years from making it at home that I feel is important to share.

  1. Cashews must be soaked in filtered water overnight before they can be used for this recipe which means it needs to be planned in advance. I know - such a pain, right? Wrong. See point #2.

  2. The quick method. If you don’t have time to soak cashews, bring water to a boil in a pot then add your cashews and let them cook for approximately 20 minutes. Be sure to strain out the water before using the cashews.

  3. The cashew cream can sit in the refrigerator for a couple of days to be used in other delicious recipes in the coming days.

Now that we’ve moved through some of the creamy benefits, how about we get to it?

Although this recipe is being shared as a hearty holiday option, this recipe is both warming and grounding making it perfect for any fall or winter meal.

what you’ll need

  • 1/4 cup raw cashews

  • 2 cups filtered water

  • 1 head of organic cauliflower

  • 5-6 cloves of garlic with the skin on

  • 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (organic and cold pressed is best)

  • 2 tbsp. brown butter ghee OR traditional ghee OR organic butter

  • 1/2 of a small white onion

  • 4 cups homemade vegetable broth

  • a pinch of sea salt, organic black pepper, and organic parsley flakes to taste

  • a drizzle of quality truffle oil OR toasted sesame oil

how to make it

Start by making your cashew cream. If you chose to soak the cashews (approximately 1/4 cup) in filtered water (approximately 2 cups) overnight, you’re good to go and can keep your soaked cashews aside. If you didn’t have the time, bring 2 cups water to a boil adding 1/4 cup cashews and cooking for approximately 20 minutes or until soft. Strain the water and place to the side.

In the meantime, you can begin the roasted cauliflower and garlic by setting your oven to roast at 400 degrees F. Chop the cauliflower into 2-3 inch chunks. In a bowl with the garlic cloves (keep the skins on), add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Gently mix with hands and spread onto a stainless steel or porcelain or stone baking pan and roast for approximately 15-20 minutes or until slightly browned.

While the garlic and cauliflower is roasting, bring a saucepan to low/medium heat and add 2 tbsp.s of ghee or organic butter. Chop the onion and saute until soft. Add the vegetable broth. I use homemade broth that I make on the weekends and keep in the refrigerator to use throughout the week.

Once the garlic and cauliflower is roasted, remove from the oven and move 1/2 - 3/4 of the roasted vegetables to the saucepan leaving the remaining contents aside. The amount you transfer depends on how chunky you want the soup. The more of the mixture that you transfer, the less chunky the soup. Bring the saucepan contents to a boil and simmer until the cauliflower becomes soft. Move the saucepan contents to a high speed mixer with the soaked cashews and mix/blend until completely pureed.

Bring the pureed mixture back to the saucepan pan low (simmer) heat and add the remaining cauliflower chunks. Gently stir to mix everything together. Add a pinch of sea salt, cracked black pepper, and dried parsley flakes for flavour.

Serve into a small (cup) sized bowl and drizzle with either a good quality truffle oil or toasted sesame oil.

For a gluten treat, you can serve with a small slice of organic and/or sprouted wheat sourdough bread.

nutritional benefits

This recipe provides a strong nutritional value of healthy fats, carbohydrates (fiber), protein and is high in potassium, magnesium and Vitamin C. It’s not only great for heart and brain and nervous system health, but it’s a powerhouse for immune health as well.

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